Denzel Washington saves 2009 remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123"

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123. It is the 2009 film remake of the original 1974 movie. This retelling starred Denzel Washington and it garnered $65 million at the U.S., box office. It grabbed $84 million at the Foreign box office. The worldwide total climbed to $150 million. The production budget was $100 million.

Ryder (John Travolta) and three other gunmen hijack the New York City subway train "Pelham 123." Ryder tells Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) that he wants $10 million in one hour or he will kill a hostage every minute.

It doesn't live up to the tense, crackling and character driven story of the original. Instead of it being about greed by the main villain who catches New York City off guard. It's about Ryder dealing with Garber on a personal level. We care about Garber and Denzel makes his character work. We don't care about anyone else. All the characters in the 1974 version are real. Here, we don't get to see anything but faces through quick editing techniques. Denzel saves the film.

Click poster for THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123.

(Poster Logo)